Guide to Playing No Limit Texas Hold 'Em

No Limit Texas Hold ’Em (NLHE) is arguably the most popular form of poker played today.

In comparison to other types of poker, the rules are quite simple. However, the strategy can be complex. For this reason, it’s said that NLHE takes minutes to learn but a lifetime to master.

Why No Limit? In each hand there's no restriction on the size of a player's bet. The only limit is the number of chips they have in front of them. The chance to win big on a single hand, or lose it all, is one reason behind the game’s popularity.

Texas Hold ‘Em is played across multiple hands. In each hand, a player aims to make the best possible five-card poker hand. They do this using a combination of their hole cards and the community cards.

Hole cards are the two cards dealt to each player, face down, at the start of each hand.

Community cards are the five cards dealt, face up, in the middle of the table. Each community card is available to every player and can be used in the hands of multiple players.

Players place bets during a hand, using poker chips. The player who wins the hand wins all the wagered chips (ie. the pot). If a player loses all of their chips, they are out of the game.

At the start of each game of NLHE, the minimum bet size is established. This is referred to as the big blind.

There are also three important table positions:

• Dealer. Not surprisingly, they deal the cards. The dealer is identified by a white disc placed in front of them. This is called the button.
• Small Blind (SB). The player to the immediate left of the dealer. At the start of the hand, the player in the SB must make a bet equal to half the size of the big blind.
• Big Blind (BB). The player to the immediate left of the SB. At the start of the hand, the player in the BB must make a bet equal to the size of the big blind.

All three positions rotate around the table, moving one position to the left at the end of each hand.